A Nagging or Nudging Spirit? (Psalm 32 (LD 21; COD Head 5 Article 5)

As a Reformed person I believe that the Holy Spirit will not leave the people that God has chosen.  When someone who is not persuaded of perseverance of the saints hears such talk they immediately think that the Reformed view teaches that God leads people around on a string.  The concern with Reformed Theology is that man becomes a puppet, an empty shell, or a blind follower who has been deprived of a will.  Is Reformed Theology teaching that the Holy Spirit is merely God’s string? Do Reformed people really believe that man is emptied or relieved of his will/desires/decision making ability?  How can Reformed People account for man’s will while God overwhelms His elect people by His Spirit?

Imposed or Refundable Gift (Ephesians 2:8 (LD 16; COD Head 2 Art. 7)

All conservative Christians agree that the human race is divided between those who believe in Christ as their savior or those who do not believe in Christ.  The issue is how do we receive our faith or come to an understanding of the truths in Scripture?  Is faith a gift that we receive by reaching up our hand to the benevolent giver or does the benevolent giver impose this gift upon us?  So, is this a gift that the Lord imposes on us or is this a gift that we can return it?

Blindly Following a Puppeteer? (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 5:1-11 (COD Head 3,4 RE 6; LD 7)

One of the criticism of the Reformed faith is that if God chooses us then our wills are set aside.  This means that we become mere robots of puppets who follow the one who pulls our strings.  I guess my first reaction to this is if this criticism is true then I am not guilty for my sin.  So, this would present a huge problem because God does not tempt us to sin.  So, how can I preached a Reformed theology with such a glaring criticism and potential problem?